


Hit Me Like A Man (Love Me Like A Woman)

by Hitzvl



Category: Frozen - Fandom, elsanna - Fandom
Genre: Assassins and Bounty Hunters, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/F, Norse Mythology - Freeform, Ragnarok, Ragnarok with a twist, Some ESO Lore, Some g!p Anna, Vampires, Werewolves
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-12
Updated: 2017-07-01
Packaged: 2018-10-30 20:52:59
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 16,696
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10884717
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hitzvl/pseuds/Hitzvl
Summary: What's harder than finding love? How about finding love as the world finds itself on the brink of a war with the Gods themselves and suddenly... you're both smack down in the middle of it all.And to top it all off, the one person who has caught your eye just so happens to be on the wrong side of this war.Neither of you have a choice... Right?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> **Music is my thing man; inspired by Pretty Reckless 'Hit Me Like a Man ( _Love Me Like a Woman_ )'. **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  _The Gods have always been known to meddle in the affairs of mortals for as long as time has existed. They destroyed themselves and drastically changed the earth once when Ragnarok came... and it looks like history is itching to repeat itself. But what of the descendants of the gods and their creations? This time... things will be_ **_much_ ** _different. A war unlike any other is brewing and not everyone realizes just how involved they'll be in a war no one had really expected to come again._

       

The sky wore heavy with broken clouds, the only steady source of light sitting in the center of a hastily strewn together campsite. Closest to the fire sat a roughly made wooden rack, strips of red meats hanging cook. Settled opposite of the meats and fire rested a rather large log, a dark fur lain over it for comfort as a man sat hunched over his meal, the fur lifted up to wrap around his shoulders. His skin looked as weather worn as the ox tied off a few paces from the groups uncovered wagon. A shadow shifted just over the hill at the man’s back, watching him as he takes another large bite out of stale bread. His jaws worked hard enough that his little grunts competed with the fires soft cackling. Another person, a woman, lay nearby on a worn bedroll, her boots stowed away under a flat pillow in what was undoubtedly a vain attempt to improve her comfort as she slept. The only other person habiting the camp was only noticed due to their feet sticking out from an undersized deer-skinned tent, their snores as broken as the clouds above. The moon, when shown, bathed the valley, giving it an ethereal charm that seemed lost on those surrounded by it. No matter; this simply made the job easier.

 

           The shadow flexed their hands, pulling out a folded piece of paper, using the brief rays of the moon to once more look over its contents. Satisfied, it was stuffed back into their pocket, their hands securing their hood one more time. Eyes in the dark reflected the flames that licked up at the sky, and then the figure was gone. The ox let out a moo, the figure stilling in the tall grass. Part of the wagons wheel sheltered them, their eyes hastily searching the face of the eating man who was likely on watch. A few beats passed and his demeanor stayed the same as he seemed to pay the animal no mind. The ox let out a grunt next. The shadows figure cautiously edged its way to the creature, reaching out to the beast with a bribe snatched from the wagon. The fresh grains presented close to its mouth did the trick quicker than expect. The ox having accepted the snack cautiously allowed a few pats from the masked figure before finally calming down. A smile briefly found itself under the shadows mask before their eyes grimly took in the camp dwellers once more. Stifling a sigh, they reached into the pouch at their hip and took out a round, earthy object, rolling it directly into the fire. It sputtered as it itself caught fire, smoke growing thick and billowing out at an unnatural pace and thickness.

 

           The man stood in alarm, the woman on the bedroll blearily responding to the distressed sound of her comrade, but it was too late for them. The coughing had begun, their eyes watering, breaths gasping, ending with the soft thuds of their collapsing bodies. Waiting a few moments more, the figure in the shadows stood, strolling towards the knocked out people. The fires light framed the shadows figure, even adorned in flexible leathers and hidden with a thick cloak, the shape of a woman was unarguably noticeable. The ox whined. She turned her head to the beast, studying it for a moment. It seemed upset but thankfully her calculations had been accurate as the poisoned smoke ‘bomb’ had not been close enough to effect the creature. Good. She was going to need its services; it would fetch some nice coin too. Turning back to the three people she set to work binding their hands and feet, lugging them onto their own wagon after hitching it up to the oxen.

 

           She patted the ox’s side. “Sorry girl, I know you expected a rest.” It silently stared back. Going over the wagon once more she made sure to sit the sleeping prisoners with their backs to the wood jutting up at each corner, the wood beams curving and connecting at the top for a cloth to be fastened over on hot or rainy weathered days. Rope was slid between their bound hands and tied off at whichever of the wagons frame their bodies sat closest to; just in case any should wake up and try to make a break for it. She’s dealt with that enough times more than she cared to count. The woman sifted through the pack in the camp, pocketing some coins and wrapping up the meat, the rest worthless bits of clothing. She kicked dirt over the fire as pouring their water skins onto the flames, glancing at the dark fur resting over the log nearby. Her fingers, only half concealed by her gloves for better grip, brushed over the pelt, her eyes studying. Hesitating but a moment more, she lifted it up, shaking it before rolling it and tossing it onto the wagon between the feet of the slouched bodies. Pulling her mask down, she leaned forward and gave a brief kiss to the ox on its nose, the ox grunting and licking its nose in response. “Stay here girl; I’ll be back in just a sec.” Trotting off over one of the hills south of the camp, her eyes scanned the fields, the clouds thinning out to give her more light. The clouds were certainly in her favor tonight she mused. The woman grinned as her eyes landed on the horse ways off, half sheltered in the mouth of a small forest. She took off in a light jog before she was sure the camp was far enough behind her so she could freely whistle.

 

           The nearly all black mounts head perked up, its white tipped ear flicking. Its green eyes caught sight of the crimson shadow, the horse’s hoofs digging into the earth as it bolted towards her. Bits of earth sprayed up as the horse careened to a stop inches before the smiling girls face, the mask tucked under her chin as she kissed her horses nose much like the ox. Her hands held and brushed its muzzle and neck, their foreheads resting together as the horse snorted. “I missed you too Cirrus. Come, we got the targets.” Leading the horse, it playfully nudging her back as she giggled, they made it back to the campsite. The men and woman were both still out cold, the ox patiently waiting. Striding back to the wagon she pulled out the dark fur, shaking it once more, motioning to her side as the horse complied, sniffing the item. “It’s a bit colder than I expected tonight.” Patting its side and pushing a little, the horse turned. Tossing the fur over its bareback and smoothing it out she patted the horses shoulder affectionately. It let out a soft whiney, shaking its head. Laughing she pulled the mark back over her back. “Yes, yes. You’re a handsome boy Cirrus.” Hopping onto his back, she grabbed onto his mane, the other hand reaching out as she bent over, taking the ox’s reigns. After some thought she settled on tossing it over the sheathed dagger at her thigh, slipping one part of reigns under and around, her hand returning to her horses mane. “Okay boy, let’s go collect that bounty.”

 

xXx

 

            A fist slammed down onto an oak desk, papers and books bounced up, dark ink spilling off onto the stone floor. “Was I not clear enough? I will not spend a coin extra on these filth! They either do their jobs or they starve, the rest is neither my concern nor my problem. They are lucky I let them even work here given their disgusting heritage.” There was a shifting of feet from the obviously distraught young man as he shrank back toward the door with each pound of the angry man’s fist upon the desk. At either side of the portly brute stood two silent guards, their hands clasped behind them, eyes following the skinny boy’s movements. Up in the small rooms’ wooden beams a woman perched silently. The curved dagger tightened in her grip, her eyes narrowing at the raging man. It was a tight spot. Her eyes studied the room before flicking back to her target. She glowered as it became more apparent that she was very unlikely going to get any sort of opening. Those cool eyes searched every crevice of the man’s face, as if the answer to her problem would magically be found within his stubbed would-be beard. Loathed as she was to admit it, this so called Doyen was a sharp looking man. Maybe he was pretty on the inside deep down? She intended to take a look herself, absentmindedly tracing the tip of her blade before flipping it in her palm, the blade away from her forearm. There was more ‘talking’ before the poor young boy looked all but ready to faint with nerves. “Escort this lad out; I have no further need of him.” The woman’s ice blue eyes narrowed as one of the guards at the Doyens shoulder walked forward, gripping the back of the boy’s shirt and half dragged him out of the building.

 

           Silent as death, the woman descended right behind the other guard, dragging the blade firm and quick across his throat, her other hand pressed firmly over his mouth. Her arms followed his slouching decent to further muffle any noise. “Now then, Mr. Johan, I think it’s time fo-” Blood coughed out of the man’s mouth the moment he turned around, cold blue eyes staring into his dulling brown, a knife lodged deep into his heart. He opened and closes his mouth a couple times soundlessly before his eyes rolled back, the woman kicking him in the chest and yanking her dagger free as he fell back. The sound of a door clicking open was met with a powerful jump from the woman, her dagger sheathed, arms held high to catch the beam as she pulled herself up all in one fluid motion. She had but two seconds before he would notice the bodies and likely raise alarm. As quick as she dared she skirted across the beams. Just as he was halfway across the room, his face turned into horror, his shout cut off as the woman slammed down into his back, the knife digging in deep with her added weight from the drop. He twitched, fingers clawing back at her, gripping one of her arms hard. Wincing she pulled back on the knife, widening the wound before wiggling the blade out. The man let out a loud gargled cry, his head to the side. His eyes stared up full of hate at the woman as she stood next to his head. His hand, much weaker, shakily stretched out for her foot. She merely batted it away. “You know. Your boss was my target. I was ordered only to kill him.” She bent down near the guards’ face, the fight starting to leave his eyes. “But I hate to leave filth sitting around so I thought I should clean up a little on my way out.”

 

           He took in the cool steel of the blade, watching in morbid fascination as the mixed bloods of his comrades and his own traced the etching of a snowflake. His eyes raked up her form even as it started growing blurry. Her outfit was unassuming, a very deep dark set of blues and purples, the only show of skin found on her hands, the glow of her eyes the only sign of life. There was no mercy within them. No emotion at all. He knew her.

 

“Ice Queen.”

 

A flash of teeth showed in a pitiless smile as she rose up, voices in the hallway building. The next change of guard; how meticulous of this Doyen. If only he had paid the same amount of effort and thought into others maybe there wouldn’t have been a hit placed upon his head. Glancing down she saw the dying guard take a ragged breath, willing his body to shout out warning with his remaining life. The Ice Queen slammed the heel of her boot into his neck. He gargled helplessly as she bent down and roughly grabbed his chin, pulling it up and twisting hard. His body finally stilled, the voices vibrating through the door in oblivious, mindless chatter. Slipping fast to the wall behind the door as it opened, the woman waited for the first man to walk through. With a swift lunge of her arm, she slammed the knife she held into the back of his knee, grabbing the door and smashing it hard into the second mans face, twice. The man on the ground in front yelled for half a second, reaching to his side for his weapon as the man behind him crumbled down. He was too late, the woman’s dagger already digging deep into his throat. The faint ting of metal was all the warning she got as a sword slashed at her head. She automatically bent forward and jutted her leg out at the assailant. As the man predictably swiveled his head from the foot, she used her position to place her extended boot to the back of the man’s neck, hugging it as her hands held her up (using the dead man in front of hers back) as she lifted herself up and let her other foot toss over the man’s shoulder, twisting her whole body, successfully throwing the man into the wall.

 

           The side of his head hit the wall with a solid thud. This being his third head injury in a manner of minutes severely weakened his grip enough to have his sword easily kicked out of his hand as he blindly swiped at the assassin again. Snarling up at the woman he threw a punch at her. Easily dodging the messy attempt, she grabbed his head and slammed it into the stone wall. Her dagger still lodged into the throat of the man behind her and the sword out of reach left her with no option but to slam his head into the stone again. His hands wrapped around her throat in a last desperate attempt to overpower. She slammed his head again. Blood gushes down half his face. He spit into her face, saliva and blood grossly clinging onto her cheek. Her icy eyes narrowed. Again and again she slammed his head into the wall until his hands finally fell slack to his sides, his leg twitching. Finally the room was still again. Her breathing was heavy, almost gasping as oxygen finally filled her lungs again. Her eyes cautiously roamed the man’s face before smashing his head one more time into the wall, for good measure. She grabbed his vest, pulling it enough to wipe her cheek clean, glaring at the lifeless body. The woman licked her lip, feeling a light swell from the guard’s feeble last attempt at clawing at her face. Iron; she tasted iron. She patted the final guards’ sides for any valuables, retrieving her dagger and cleaning on the shirt of the bent over man she had used earlier, slipping it back inside her cloak. Her hand stayed within her cloak, patting around before retrieving a thin metal shaped snowflake. She silently walked behind the desk, the stone floor of the room nearly crimson from all the bodies, tiny pools flicking up onto her boots with each step. The Doyen was as dead as she had left him, his body stiffening already. Her eyes fiddled with the metal snowflake, crouching over the man’s body. His finely tailored clothes were as soaked as the floor in a deep red. She stared a bit longer before leaving the snowflake over the heart of the dead Doyen, standing slowly. “Beware the frozen heart, Doyen.” She took one last look around the bloodied room, trekking to the doorway as she tossed out over her shoulder, “I hear it kills.” and walked out into the night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **This is a gamer dork rant; ignore if you wish**
> 
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> 
> I've been a fan of video games for the longest time (most of us, right?) though I haven't been into Elderscrolls from the VERY beginning. Yet, I do remember when Oblivion came out. And..the fucking feeling. The _elation_ I had as I escaped prison and saw the land before me for the first time, the graphics alone were chilling and fit the wonderful Autumn season blanketing my home in Texas. Stepping out of the hidden passage of the prison I ran through for the prologue, crossing a small stretch of water to the mountainous land, spotting a cute little crab. Dying horrendously by said cute little crab. And dying. Each, fucking, time. ...Growing afraid of crabs. That fucking mudcrab owned my ass so many times, my first real taste of the game really was not so glamourous. I saw a man passing by on a horse on the path near me and that devil crustacean, and when he dismounted to chase after something.. I took my chance. I stole his fucking horse on a whim I could do it. I could. ....Turns out that was a guard's horse and I cumulated a bounty for my theft. And no, he didn't want to talk when I thought to just return the horse. Fuck me. So I hopped back on and just fucking ran. And ran. And kept running from fucking everything. Every. God. Damn. THING. was out to get me; and I was already a wanted criminal for my theft so I fucking had nowhere to go. (Note to new players; check the fucking difficulty settings when you start the game unlike this idiot here- even your low level ass shouldn't die from a single hit off a god damn crab). Thus began my desperate, fear laced running spree, my horribly lame attempts at fighting off the wildlife constantly up my ass at every turn, and my confused fear filled charge late into the games day, all ended when 'A mysterious island has appeared'. I just fucking accepted the quest and went for it. Threw me and the horse into the water and slowly swam our way onto the island. No one was trying to kill me YET, really. Mysterious island shaped like a face with a portal in its mouth and distraught people not at all sane in the head mumbling and freaking out? Sounds good. So yup, within a span of likely 30 minutes of playing, my first time was in the realm of Sheogorath; the Madgod Deadric Prince. 
> 
> Let me tell you..That whole world? It was a fucking trip. Sheo is one of my most favorite characters. fucking Sheogorath and his cheese. XD 
> 
> I regret none of it. 
> 
> And after all that time in a world split between the people of Mania and Dementia- all fucking fitting the bill, when I finally completed the story and left his realm into the 'normal' world, I still found an amazing world with different delights. 
> 
> Dude. The rules in the original world were NOT like Sheogoraths XD And when I killed someone...for whatever reason and slept it off... I was surprised to find my random murder ended up to me waking with a chilling piece of paper telling me 'We Know' with a black handprint in the center. 
> 
> It was then I learned of the Dark Brotherhood. 
> 
>  
> 
> And I'll stop. But really. This game has been fucking wild and I have played Skyrim, even the Legendary DLC as well as now the ESO (excited for the Morrowind expansion they'll be bringing in- I know it was the original, well, Arena was but, technicalities I'm ignoring since this is where they started to come into themselves). Anyway; I'm hoping to use my love and respect for these awesome RPG games with my little Elsanna fixation (little XD). I didn't want it to be 100% the game so I'm doing a light spin off so I can add my own elements without conflicting with the actual game-uh, realities? I dunno how to put. ...Yup. Well, there you have it.


	2. Chapter 2

 

            The air was damp, birds’ songs spilling forth from the surrounding trees as the wagon and its rider trotted on through the early morning hours. Not one for enjoying getting _up_ in the morning, but for sure being awake for them was certainly one of her most favorites. The whole world just seemed to buzz with joy that the sun was stretching up higher and higher and they all wanted to greet it. Her targeted town filtered into view as her mount and the ox picked their way over moist leaves and fallen branches. Cirrus snorted, shaking his mane. The rider patted his neck and whispered to him, knowing full well he wanted to go for a run. She wasn’t a morning person..but her horse was. Any time she found herself sleeping under the stars, her favorite hat covering her face, Cirrus took advantage of the situation. Such a playful boy she often thought with a smile. Prancing around like a silly foul, stealing her blanket or hat and dancing away to force her to give chase and play. She never stayed mad long and in exchange her houses teasing was never unreasonably dragged out. The rider smiled, checking over her shoulder briefly to see her…passengers… still sound asleep, barely jostled, as they made it up to the town’s gates. The sun was bathing the stone walls with a warm barrage of oranges and yellows. Coupled with the dew clinging to the surfaces it gave everything a sort of magical glow. Yes. Mornings were her favorite. “Morning, Firefly.”

 

The rider lifted her head at the greeting, giving a brief nod. “Morning to you, Gus.”

  
The portly guard smiled, surprised she had remembered, his eyes drifting to the cart being led next to her. “These the guys?” The Firefly gave a grunt. “Good job; efficient and fast as always. One of you Firefly’s mentioned to direct you to the Drunken Mare once you returned.”

 

Cirrus made a noise, prompting a glare from its rider. “Not on your life, boy.”  


“I-I’m sorry?”

 

“Not you Gus, just Cirrus here. Thanks for the info; I’ll make my way there then.”

 

xXx

 

            The town was quaint but its nearby ruler kept even its simpler towns fortified decent enough. It wasn’t the richest town, but the roads were all cobbled, fresh water spilled from simply fountains, and all the homes had a nice little charm of mud’s, wood, and stone for those who could afford it. Both Cirrus and the Firefly’s head followed a crate of apples as a man carried it over to one the stalls in the center of the town, getting ready for business. Her grumbling stomach was all she needed to steer their way over to the bent over man, clearing her throat. Startled the man spun around, not expecting customers so early. His brown eyes cautiously eyed the wagon of sleeping, bound, people. He took a look at the rider, noting the dark crimson color of the snug leathers around the young woman’s body. On her shoulder, etched into the thick leather guard, was a simplified trinity knot upside down, the two top ovals shaped as curling fames in mock wings. “Ah, a Firefly. You gave me a scare. What can I do you for?”  
  
Her wry smile was hidden beneath the thin leather of her mask. “I apologize, I was simply distracted by the look of those apples and I forgot myself and the company I keep. How much?”

 

The man gave a careful smile, his eyes casting to the wagon before back to the individual towering over him on her horse. “On the house.”

 

The woman shook her head, her hands going into a pouch that had been strapped to her hip. Sifting through various items, the poisoned smoke bombs and such, she found the small soft deerskin bag and pulled it out. Her deft fingers flicked through a few coins, mulling of their worth in this region before settling on a couple silver pieces. “I insist I pay.”

 

The man who had silently been watching the woman took an alarmed step back. Her words had been casual yet he acted as if she truly were robbing him, standing with his hands up, a nervous sweat breaking out across his reddening forehead. “Look, there is no need. Just take what you want, I don’t want any trouble.”

 

“The Firefly’s are not brutes, Mr. Apple Salesman.” Still there was no change between them. Huffing, the woman tossed the coins at the man, who reflexively caught them, holding them fearfully to his chest. “Tell you what; give me six of those apples and a simple sack for them.” Cirrus stomped his foot. “…Make that eight. The cost would make you short the price of a couple apples, so we both get what we want. Fair?” The man only nodded, quickly grabbing one of the small burlap sacks from behind the stall and filling it with the best apples he could find. He pulled the little string on it, closing the hole and she nodded her head to the wagon. The man hesitated a moment, meeting the teal eyes staring back at him and seeing no change. He cautiously laid the bag down, furthest away from the people as he could (though with a wagon that small, that was harder said than done) and scurried off back behind his stall. “Thank you Sir. Have a good day.” The man tossed out a careful farewell before wiping his brow, watching the rider and her wagon drift away through the slowly filling streets.

 

xXx

 

            The Drunken Mare was tucked at a corner of the town, near the river that flowed partly through the town. It, like many of the buildings, had a simple but strong, Nordic style. Dismounting her horse, the Firefly retrieved the dark fur she had draped over his back, shaking it again before rolling it up and tossing it onto the wagon. Pulling the ox around back in preparation to conclude her business, the very business she had in her wagon started to stir. The baffled outrage of the men and the woman made the Firefly wince. Walking to the angry prisoners the Firefly reached into the sack of apples, selecting one, turning it this way and that as they shouted at her. 

  
“Let me go at once you filth!”

  
“I’ll gut you like a pig.”

 

“Do you know who I am!?”

 

She selected a second apple as the people persisted, fighting their restraints, more curses following. The Firefly’s eyes glanced up as a particular slur was tossed her way before her eyes drifted back to the bag, digging out a third apple, humming her disapproval before exchanging it for another.

  
  
“Fucking look at me when I’m talking to you!”

  
“When I get free, I will find you. Mark my words.”

 

“Your death with be the slowest in history, you decrepit hag.” 

  
            Pacing between two of the people in the wagon the firefly turned her head around, looking at the bigger, gruffer man who had been sitting on the log back at the camp. The moment he opened his mouth wide to curse more at her, she slammed an apple into his mouth, tying a bit of cloth around his mouth to keep it in place, patting his cheek. The Firefly then proceeded to repeat the action to the woman on the other side, as that woman also went to yell a complaint. The third man wisely remained silent as she approached. The Firefly tilted her head, staring into his eyes. Shrugging she slid her hand up the back of his neck into his medium-length, oak colored hair. His eyes widened in surprise, before tearing with pain as her hand made a hard fist and yanked back, shoving the apple into his mouth and tying it off, finishing her job. The complaints didn’t stop but they were indeed muffled by the three apples.

  
  
            The firefly knelt down, fingers walking over the layer of tiny pouches up the side of her knee high boots, selecting one and removing a small, crystal figurine within it. Slipping her thumb under her mask, she nipped it, squeezing out a little dollop of blood, swiping it across the carved crystal. It gave a very tiny hum, glowing from its clear blue state to a bright orange, physically shaking. Briefly closing her eyes, the woman very quietly muttered to the crystal, squeezing it in her grip, light pouring out of her fist almost like liquid. The prisoners in the wagon desperately tried yanking at their bounds. The light disappeared, and the woman opened her hand, revealing what looked to be a glowing ember now, still holding its tiny carved shape. Turning her back to those bound to the wagon, she pulled her mask down and brought her lips to her palm, taking a deep breath. As she released it, the stone wisped away into the air, suddenly bursting into a fiery creature, shaped much like the symbol emblazoned on her shoulder. It soared high into the sky, swopping back once over the woman’s head before zipping off. Nodding to herself and fixing her mask back in place, the Firefly walked over to her quarter horse companion, who had been edging his way over ever since she pulled the apples out. The Firefly reached up and petted his muzzle affectionately, glancing down at the beast chest to look at the odd patch of white hair, nearly the shape of a heart, resting there. She let out a soft giggle when he nudged her, his nostrils twitching as he noses both her hands and sniffed around at her sides. The horse shook his dark mane, his unusual green eyes boring holes into the woman’s teal. He held her gaze for a long time, refusing to blink. The woman finally snorted then sighed exaggeratedly before returning to the wagon containing the three people who had finally given up at yelling. Their faces looked no less pissed at their capture, even if they seemed defeated.

 

            The Firefly barely spared them a glance as she swung a leg into the cart, the only corner not occupied by their bound bodies, and whipped out her knife. She finally cast her gaze around her at the tied and bound people, tapping her mask where her lips would be then holding up a single finger in the ‘shh’ universal sign. The people remained still, their eyes following the slightly curved blade with cautious fear. Cirrus had made his way over, impatiently nudging his head into her side, nearly toppling her fully into the cart. She shot him a glance and he merely blinked, waiting. Sitting down on the lip of the wagon with a foot hanging on either side, the one outside the wagon slowly swaying, the woman pulled out an apple and began to slowly carve it up into slices. Each slice she made she would pause, hold it flat in her palm and stick it under Cirrus’s flopping lips. The eyes of the prisoners warily followed each skilful stroke and slice with more and more growing unease. The Firefly took no notice, reaching in and starting on a second apple for her piggish horse with a small smile.

 

           By the time the second apple had been whittled down into fourths and fed to Cirrus, there were only three apples left in her bag, a bulky man in similar dark, crimson leathers, appeared by her side. Broad in chest and thick in the arms, the leathers seemingly had a hard time concealing his shape like the much smaller woman. He kept his hood pulled far over his eyes as his only successful attempt at remaining mysterious. The only bare patches of skin to be seen were his arms and hands, which rested at his sides. The two Fireflies exchanged looks before the smaller one held out the remaining slices of a third apple to Cirrus. The prisoners started to try yelling again as the large man’s eyes roamed over them, the scimitar glinting on his hip likely part of the cause of their returning fire. The woman stood, brushing herself off, nodding toward the bound people, her arms folded. He gave a mute nod in return, taking a step back as he motioned to the cart in a silent question to the smaller man that had been shielded behind him. Donned in finer, though still practical, armors as the guards at the gate had been, the emblem on his chest alerted his rank as the commanding officer for the town. Glancing at the wanted poster in his possession and back to the three captives, he gave a curt nod, his fine trimmed mustache bouncing with it. “Very good, we will take them from here until they are collected by those concerned. I will have your payment delivered to your room.” With a flick of the man’s wrist a couple guards walked past the captain, heaving up the bound men and woman, forcing them to walk even as they struggled. As they were walked past, shooting dirty glares at the Fireflies, the guard captain raised his brow, looking at the woman Firefly. “Apples?” Her smirk was hidden as she nonchalantly shrugged. The captain smiled briefly making his cheeks bunch up, his mustache twitching. “Very good.” Saluting the man followed after his men and the prisoners.  


             The two Fireflies waited a while, both having migrated back to behind the building, their hoods and masks removed. Some cheap wooden crates littered the back wall, a single worn bench sitting near the taverns rear door, likely for the staff. A simple leanto was attached to a couple large trees, a water trough half filled pressed against on side. It wouldn’t do much good against anything but some sun and simple rain, especially if was windy, but it was certainly something. As it stood, the ox was milling nearby, munching on the grains purchased by the larger Firefly, Cirrus opting to mill about the trough. Both people watched Cirrus, larger one leaning back against the wall, seated on the bench as he absently widdled away at a chunk of wood he found. The woman had popped herself up on one of the crates, munching on an apple, snorting as she watched her horse start to play with the water. “One would have thought I rescued a camel, not a horse.”

 

The man lifted his chocolate eyes up to the right, smiling at the reddish-pigtailed bounty hunter. “The name is appropriate at least.” She shot a glance down at him, shrugging a little, taking another bite of the crisp apple, its juices messily running down her chin. For the fifth time she used the back of her hand to wipe it away. “You and your horse share the same manners too.”

 

The woman glared down at him. “Oh, don’t even Kri-” He shot her a glare back in warning. “…Bull. Anyway, compared to you and Sven, Cirrus and I are fucking royalty with our eating manners.”

 

“Table manners?”

 

“Don’t test me Reindeer King.”

 

The burly blond laughed, setting down the wooden block to scratch as his shaggy mane. “Tame one reindeer and suddenly you’re the ruler of them all.”

 

“Where is Sven anyway?” Bull nudged his head to the side at a giant pile of hay. “Okay…?” Bull held up a finger, before he whistled. Cirrus and the ox lifted their heads at the noise briefly before returning to their respective tasks of grazing. The woman went to speak again but Bull merely held his hand up. That’s when her gaze caught movement from the hay pile. It was subtle at first. Then it started to pop up a little. Shortly following that, it started to shake, violently. A brown and grey furred reindeer burst through, shaking his antlers of spare straw as he bounded over to Bull. Sven shared his master’s earth colored eyes, something the woman personally found adorable. The reindeer licked Bull from his chin to his forehead, shaking much like an excited dog. Before the two could get into it, Sven noticed the girl as she spun her last uneaten apple in her hand. “I know you prefer carrots but.. apples are good to, you know?” Sven had no trouble pushing his nose into the woman’s hands as he was much the same size and height of her horse. His big, brown eyes looked up at the woman, begging after she pulled the apple away from his attempt to nip at it.  
  
“Come on Red; just give it to the poor guy.” Red shot Bull a look, reaching forward under Sven’s chin to scratch it before kissing his nose, him trading a bunch of sloppy licks in return. Giggling she tossed the apple to him. Red’s eyes went wide at the speed of which Sven started to chew into the apple before Bull reprimanded him. “Hey, share!”

  
“Oh please, no.” She couldn’t watch. Red covered her face, waiting a beat before peaking between her fingers to check. Yup. Her fears were confirmed, Bull had done it again. She tried not to gag. “Remind me to get you each an apple next time…”

 

“Why? I don’t mind sharing.”

 

“The rest of the world does, Reindeer King.” They soon returned back to a comfortable silence, the sun high in the sky, lunch rolling around. “Has there been word?” Bull’s bear sized hands stopped their playful scratching on Sven as he grunted out a negative. Red pursed her lips, brushing her short bangs to the side, hopping off the crate and stretching. “That was the last contract we had. The guild hasn’t sent word either?” Again, Bull shook his head and grunted, standing as well, patting Sven’s head. “The coin won’t last long. We will need to sell this ox and wagon. How much do we have?” Bull tightened a strap of leather on his thigh, humming in thought. “Well, with what was promised plus what we had I would say we’ve enough to eat well tonight and likely make it as far as Mosfell. Maybe even into the larger city Reistara. It really depends on whether we keep the ox or not. Realistically we could save more if we took it and stocked up on supplies.”

 

“Is it wise to travel further north right now, even if for work?”

 

“It’s midsummer at worst. We should be fine so long as we start southward again before Samhain starts.”

 

“Why do we always have to miss out on all the fun?” Red’s freckled cheers puffed with irritation, her hands on her hips. Bull bit the inside of his cheek, his feisty little friend not quite reaching his chin.

 

“Because fun doesn’t feed us nor does it please the Fireflies.”

 

“They need to loosen up.” Rolling one of his large shoulders and sighing as it popped, he moved to ruffle Red’s head, earning a glare before he trotted off around the tavern. “Where are you going! We need to figure things out Bull.” Without turning the man shouted behind him. “I’m tired of smelling meats and beer and not _tasting_ it. We can talk more later. Let’s drink!”

 

“We can’t just leave the wagon and ox like this. Someone will think it’s abandoned!”

 

“Then take care of it and meet me when you’re done.”

 

“You-!” But he was gone. She wanted to argue more, sure, but was it worth chasing after him for it? …She supposed not. Sighing she checked back on the beasts who all seemed still quite content. “You guys be good.” The snort that followed form Cirrus really made her question if he _did_ understand her and was taunting her. It was hard to tell. But…he was just a horse, as smart as he may be. Surly…  No, no. Shaking her head, she blows a kiss, Cirrus and Sven both stomping their feet in return as she ran after Bull, jumping onto his back. The man stumbled forward a bit, laughing as he half dragged and carried the small woman. “You better not drink all the coin _I_ earned today.”

 

“Yeah yeah. The wagon and ox, Red.”

 

“Ugh, on it. But dinners on you tonight.” Bull smiled and waved her off as Red trotted back to the cart, confiscating a tarp out of one of the nearby open crates and strapping it over the wagons arch. May as well, she figured. Grabbing the ox’s reigns and hooking it back up, she lead them further out into the field. It was outside of the fortified walls but still technically within the city. Either way, it should be fine. It would make their leave easier than going through the guard and all that hassle should they be leaving early, and likely, with hangovers.  
  
       

          Taking off the harness and reigns from the ox, she laid them on one of the weathered wooden posts that held up the farmers’ fence. The wagon titled forward having nothing to keep its face off the ground. Red tapped her chin in thought, loosely reminding herself to oil her leathers given the stiffness she felt in her shoulders. Partly into the woods on her left was a good sides rock that looked to be a decent enough height to keep the wagon level enough. She dragged it over, peaking inside the wagon once more. She had returned to the apple’s sales man, he luckily having a handful of apples left despite the day having waned considerably. They were tight on money and she decided if he was going to act the way he was without her prompting, she may as well take what free food she could get. The dark fur had been rolled out, covering the floor nearly halfway, its fur standing up quite tall for whatever beast it had come from, it was almost fluffy. Another reason leaving back at her targets camp would have been such a waste. In a corner at the back of the wagon sat their stuff. Bull had left their meager bags near Sven’s ‘spot’ earlier so she took the liberty of loading them up now in case they both forgot. Again. She reached in and checked and secure the tops of their waterskins (one most certainly _not_ water by the strong alcoholic scent of it). Two rolled bundles of under clothes and shirts covered the other corner of the wagon, as well as a pillow and two coarse blankets. The few odd items here and there outside of that hung from a multi-pouched satchel strung up on one of the arches. Nothing of real value would be lost should someone of lesser moral stumbled across their wagon and ransack it. After a few trips in the bigger cities they had learned to keep the things that cost most on their persons, always. The Firefly tied up the front of the wagon anyway; a clear sign of ownership, probably. She whirled around, pointing at the ox munching lazily at the grass at its hooves. “You!” It lifted its large head up at her, still slowly chewing. “You’re in charge of guarding our wagon, you hear?” It blinked, still chewing. Red furrowed her brows. “Is that a maybe or..?”

 

Chew.

 

“Alright; I’m trusting you here. I mean it; I _will_ eat beef tonight if you fail.”

 

Chew.

 

“Hmm… But I wonder if that’s really the same- Oh what am I saying. Surly it is, right?”

 

Chew.

 

“Right. Well, you know your job; do us proud soldier.” Red leaned close to the ox. “Between you and me I paid the farmer to let you both stay the night so it shouldn’t be a problem, but try anyway, okay?”

 

Chew.

 

Red smiled, her sun kissed face glowing. “I knew I liked you.” The ox watched her go as she practically skipped back to the Tavern, it's blank stare returning to its grass.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **_*spoilers?*_ **
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
> **The Fireflies are a Bounty Hunter organization. Do not get that confused with The Last of Us- totally unrelated and certainly not disease inducing. Anna and Kristoff are members as you can tell. They can't use their names and for their own safety do not even speak or show themselves to their targets. I drew the symbol for the Fireflies and I used it for a reason later to be revealed.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short; I apologize

Wincing inwardly, the pale blonde gritted her teeth as she pushed the needle back through the wound. A soft whimper escaped the animals lips, its eyes the same ice blue as hers, looking at her pathetically. She hummed softly, applying pressure around the shoulder wound as she pinched it with one hand, her nimble fingers working as fast as she dared with her other. Mending wounds was always a grim task. A whimper escaped its lips, her voice ushering out soft cooing noises as the needle swiftly dove back in again.

 

Bears.

 

Fucking bears. Not one, not two, but three goddamn _bears._ Her heart bled for her wolf, the blood staining its grey-white fur. It just figured that her close call with her mark today wouldn’t be the end of her day. No. There had to be a family of aggressive bears. This had not been her day. The wound felt hot to the touch under her fingers. Uncapping her waterskin she slowly washed the wound, the blood thinning out into a clearer pink as it fled from the wolfs fur and started soaking into the earth. “Shh, Sköll. The worst is over.” It whimpered again, laying its head back on the ground as a golden wolf paced back and forth, aggression oozing off of him. This wouldn’t do. It wouldn’t be wise to travel far with these wounds marring them all. Thankfully the wolves linage would mean a quicker recovery than was natural, she would still need to shelter them for a couple days. Sighing, the assassin ran her hand through her messy fringe. “Well, no matter. The mark is dead. We can afford a little time- Háti stop pacing, you’re making us both agitated.” He snarled at her but she waited patiently for him to calm down and comply. “Let me look at you; I know you’re hurt.” His grey eyes bore holes into her but she held his fierce gaze until he finally lowered his eyes and laid down. He kept up a low grumbling growl but, again, the woman paid him no mind as her fingers skimmed and combed through his wheat shaded fur.

 

The sun had started to set by the time she had finished patching up the wolves wounds as well as the few she was sporting herself. People were one thing.. but _bears_. She shook her head, her braid threatening to slip from its perch. She always kept it braided and wrapped around her head almost as if a crown. Too bad that wasn’t the reason Ice Queen stuck as her name. She used to hate it but it grew on her, in a morbid sort of way. “We should get moving. There is a town near enough. I will find us somewhere to stay, I swear.” A loud thundering crack in the skies made her ivory skin crawl. Of course Háti let out a threatening growl, as if he could challenge the very heavens and somehow win. Sköll pulled herself into a sitting position just to give what had been the closest thing to an eye roll the woman had ever seen a wolf give. The two started growling at each other as another roll of thunder shook the sky. The assassin clicked her tongue. “Enough you two! We’ve tested our luck enough with the Gods today. Let’s find shelter.” A couple growls and a huff and they finally trailed slowly after the woman. The brown grey leather practically melted into her lithe body, perfectly crafted and fitted to her by her _family_. The rain started dropping down in heavy, unforgiving, drops. Nothing was dry in as little as seconds since the first drop touched the ground. A real curtain of rain. She hissed a curse under her breath, her brief train of thought broken as she concentrated on seeing simply where her feet were. Thunder roared again and the earth grew dark. The wolves whimpered, brushing up against her sides, the land pitch black until a large bolt of lightning shot across the sky.

 

This… was not good. They needed to get somewhere. A moo startled the woman, her hands blindly reaching out as she made her way to the crying beast. The wolves slunk close on her heels, their tails between their legs. The assassin jumped when something wet though not exactly water brushed over her palm. She patted it, feeling further and realizing she had found the cow face. The wolves let out low growls. “No.” She snarled at them, making it clear this wasn’t their snack tonight. They quieted quickly, thunder crackling. It was a long shot, though she had to try. She reached into her pocket as grabbed a tiny vial, pulling the little cork out with her teeth and drinking it, letting it fall to the ground. She hated to enhance her strange…gift.. but she needed something. She rested her hands on the cows head an closed her eyes, her vision filling with mundane things one would expect of a cow. She searched further, catching the tail end of a bubbly girl. As she got closer it was clear she wasn’t a farmhand from the leather and metal plating.

 

The assassin jolted back and whipped her head to the side. A wagon. Perfect. She felt around for the reigns and slipped them onto the cow, well, ox as she learned from the vision as the voices muddled together of the conversation the beast had overheard between this spirited young lady and her similarly clad companion. The woods were not likely the wisest of places but being out in the open field seemed just as unwise. It was something and that’s all that mattered. Between a little backtracking of the cows path and some guesswork, despite the very brief amounts of light the sky offered, the wagon was found. She pulled the ox under the trees and tied it to the side of the wagon, the tall pines and oaks at least good for blocking some of the harsh winds and rains.

 

Moving to the front of the wagon and untying it, she held the flap open, waiting for her wolves to climb in before following after. Tying it back as best she could, she stripped off her soaked clothes and rung them out in a corner of the wagon, threading them through the arches connecting points. It was lucky this thick skin was very well treated and waxed for not a drop of rain had made it inside the wagon. It was a little cramped with herself and the wolves. Thankfully once in the shelter of the trees they had shaken off what they could of the water before bolting obediently into the borrowed shelter. The thunder continued to roar through the night, the assassin having pulled out the woman’s set of trousers and white shirt, using the mans set to dry her wolves down more. Háti lay curled at the back of the wagon, the assassin’s head resting on him like a pillow. Sköll curled to the woman’s side, as much warmth as she was there for protection, her head angled at the wagons entrance with caution. The woman laid there for quite a while, her mind running with thoughts, asking questions she couldn’t possibly answer, and making plans for whatever may come her way. Many busy thoughts, as was how every night was filled, all more a distraction from the dead who piled higher and higher with each mission she accepted. The rains outside lessened their hardened onslaught but kept steady. These lands were known for one and off rains these times of year, this was definitely not the end of it. The wagon grew warm, much too warm, and finally she forwent any clothes at all. She buried her face into Háti’s fur, she closed her eyes. The hard rains and thunder eventually lulled the woman to sleep; she would deal with the possible consequences tomorrow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _***spoilers?***_   
> 
> 
>  
> 
> **Elsa is our Assassin, the organization's name will be mentioned later with explanation. Do know this will derive from Loki (NOT Avengers- don't you dare with me man, don't you dare.) Loki will be a fallen 'Divine' as in the ElderScrolls universe there are nine. I haven't really played around with that, just know that our little complex prankster is no longer held in high regard by his peers (much like the real thing).**
> 
> **Some of Loki's children, a daughter named Hel and a son named Fenrir, are part of this Brotherhood's ruling deities. Consider them Deadric 'Princes' in this case, if you wish.**
> 
> **Two children from Fenrir, wolves more or less, are Elsa's companions. Sköll (“Mockery”) grey-White wolf who I chose to be our Moon, and Háti (“Hatred”) golden wolf, our sun. They will hopefully reflect these personalities.**
> 
> **Now onto Elsa's gift. Since magic is normal here, I wanted to do a unique gift for our girl. I don't have a proper label for her type of 'empathy' and all, but that's that.**
> 
> **Oh and hey, if you're into this area of mythology, hit me up mate; love to hear about it and all.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took me so fucking long.

 

            The willful song of various birds greeting the rising sun never grew old. No matter how much blood was spilt the night before…the sun would always rise again. The world would wake and stretch lazily, and the wildlife would settle into their routines. Some creatures sang the earth to sleep, but it was the morning cheer of the birds that always lifted the assassin’s spirits. It never failed. She may take lives… but there was no denying the bliss in hearing _life_. Hearing it happy and strong, all around her still going on, no matter what she or anyone else did. The smell of wet earth was stronger than the normal morning dew given the storm the night before. The woman laid there on her back, listening to the soft drips of water falling from branches, the crunch of leaves as critters skittered about. It was peaceful. She nearly forgot the wounds she and her wolves sustained the night before. Nearly forgot the ‘stolen’ bed she slept in. She peeled her ice blue eyes open, staring up at the thick skin protecting the carts goods. The scent from the clothes and furs all mingled in a strange fashion she couldn’t decide if she enjoyed or not. The wet dog smell had certainly left. She sat up, leaning on her elbows, curious. Her wolves were gone.

 

Eyes squinting to the tear in the front of the wagon she barely restrained a sigh at her pups ever graceful escape attempt, making quite the mess of things. So much for leaving subtly. Oh well, not her problem. The light felt harsh to her eyes, more accustomed to the night by choice more than profession. She laid back down on the thick fur under her, groaning. Her eyes shot open wide just as soon as she closed them, her ears straining to confirm her suspicions. There was definitely something approaching the wagon. Her mind started reeling for possibilities, sitting up with caution. Her wolves would never be so careless to be heard, plus they were wisely elsewhere. Why they didn’t wake her briefly crossed her mind, the crunching of feet approaching closer. The woman’s eyes narrowed and her hand went straight to her hip, preparing to fight. She looked down in slight confusion. Fuck; she was naked. The soft sound of humming surprised the assassin; it was unquestionably a woman’s voice. Her eyes looked up, her clothes dried and stiff, weapons strung beside them. A man’s voice shouted in the distance, the woman yelling something back. Shit there’s more people, they’re too close and she was _not_ running naked again.

 

A loud moo to the side startled her. Repressing a groan she glanced in the direction of the cows moo. She’s way too jumpy. Taking a deep breath, she slid out one of the blades from above, crawling up to the wagons opening. Keeping hard to the side closest to where the cow was, she listened as the woman trotted over and began to coo at the beast. Oh. … _Oh_. It was _her_. The image was clear but of course the stupid cow was colorblind. It made it hard to make out specific details on the woman’s person. She was no farmer, that assessment was certain. The assassins’ fingers curled harder on the hilt of the dagger, her eyes narrowing. She may have no choice but to kill the woman. A shame, she seemed sweet, kinda dorky. Cute. But this was a fight or die world and she was in no position to take a chance on a fair fight should it come to it. Naked _and_ injured? Yeah, no. A gasp ripped the assassin out of her thoughts once more, eyes glaring at the bright opening of the torn tarp. Each step to the wagon echoed within the assassin’s head. Her heart matched the rhythm, everything slowing. She raised the blade and bunched her muscles; the woman’s outstretched hand coming into view. Then her shoulder. Her neck. This was it. As soon as the girl’s fingers curled around the torn hide, the assassin jumped. A sharp pain smashed instantly into her body and her whole world went black. The only thing the assassin remembered was wide, teal eyes.  


xXx

 

            Red balled her fist to her mouth, her eyes wide as she stared at the naked woman lying in their cart. “ _Shit_ , shit, oh _shit_!” She had no idea what happened. She remembered noticing the tear in the wagon’s front as she checked on the ox. Bull wasn’t far behind, their race ending almost as soon as it started when he started complaining about his hangover. Figures. But now she had bigger issues to deal with than Bull’s inability of self control. There was a _naked_ woman in their wagon. Injured. Red glanced down at her fist, grimacing. More injured. She had expected maybe some thieves to have looted their stuff but the tears looked like they were made by claws, not blades. It didn’t add up though, given there was the ox, tied up and unharmed. Why would an animal not have eaten that? Wait, why was the ox even tied up? The farmers doing possibly. Red had no idea what to expect, that was for sure, but when a naked woman popped out at her- her reflexes took hold of her… and she smashed her fist into this naked woman’s face.   
  
            It was a damn good hit too, completely knocking out this woman. Bull shouted over Red’s shoulder and her panic returned tenfold. _Fuck_. She had a naked woman knocked out and bleeding in their fucking wagon. There was no explaining this. Red whipped around, clutching onto the torn hide behind her as she tried to pull it together, grinning weakly up at Bull. For his part, he only stared at his partner, scratching at his shaggy blond mess of hair. “Uh…Red? What are you doing.”

 

“Nothing! Why would I be doing anything?”

 

Though the hood of Bulls cloak hid his eyes, the frown on his face was not. “…Right.”

 

“Right.” Red echoed, grinning wider.

 

Bull’s brows furrowed at her strange behavior. “Red.”

 

“Blue.”

 

“RED.”

 

“Yellow?”

 

“Dammit stop that An-.”

 

Red wiggled in place, alarm written all over her face, her hands still stuck behind her to keep the women hidden from Bulls view. “-Shh on my name man. Big no-no!”

 

Bulls arms crossed, eyes narrowing. “I know what’s going on.”

 

“I highly doubt it.”

 

“Red, you can’t hide anything from me.”

 

“It’s a woman’s honor I’m protecting here. I must.”

 

There was a silence shared between the two Fireflies. Their stare down ticked by, the sound of Cirrus and Sven walking around the only indication of passing time. Bull started to tap his heavily booted foot, lips drawn tight before he let out a sigh. “…We were robbed again, weren’t we.”

 

“I swear I didn’t _know_ \- wait what?”

 

Baffled she blinked up at him as he motioned to the wagon behind her. “I can see the tears. We were robbed, weren’t we?”

 

Had they been robbed? It was hard to recall those details when the boob-FACE- when the woman’s face shot out wagon and into her fist. If she was a thief, their stuff should still be in the cart, right? Of course. But if they we robbed before she showed up… Crap. “…I haven’t looked.”

 

“Sure you haven’t.”

 

“Here’s an idea! Why don’t you and Sven go into town and get some more provisions for the road; basics-oh and some clothes. Maybe bandages.”

“Yes to provisions and yes to the bandages but why am _I_ the one getting it, and what’s wrong with what you’re wearing?”

 

“Bull, I need you to get me clothes. As s _oon_ as _possible_.”

 

“Okay, what’s going on,” he leans in and whispers carefully. “..Is it the woman thing…?”

 

“Yes! I have no more underwear.”  


His face reddens slightly, eyes flicking away to the side. “W-what?”

 

“Underwear; stay focused.”

 

Rubbing his face and letting out a grumbled noise he peeked over at his friend. “I’m not buying you underwear. I’ve tried that before with you; you’re too picky.”

 

Dammit. That was a stretch. “Then get me pants and a shirt!”

 

“Why the shirt?”

 

She didn’t have time for this! Stomping her foot she snapped at him, glaring. “BULL! Just get me PANTS and a SHIRT, okay?”

 

He threw his large hands up to his head, squeezing hard. “Fine, fine! Just stop yelling.. My head. Gods, why did I think I could out drink the innkeeper.”

 

“You’re a lightweight Kris. Face it.”

 

“Do you want the clothes or not?”

 

“Fine. Yes, now go on. We are wasting time.”

 

“Why don’t you come with.”

 

Excuse. Another excuse Red, you can do it! The ox mooed. Her eyes lit up. “Being robbed once is bad enough, isn’t it? What if they come back for our ox.”

 

Bull jumped in place, pointing at Red with triumph. “HA! So we were rob—ow my head… Crap.” Red stifled her smirk. “Alright, have it your way. I’m going.” She waved the man off as he and Sven walked away, his hand ruffling the fur on Sven’s neck. Once they were out of sight Red spun on her heels, looking back into the wagon.

 

            The woman was stretched out across the dark fur. Red swallowed thickly as she lingered longer than was appropriate, watching how the fur was brushed across the pale skin of her thighs, her nearly white blonde hair spilled out, covering half her face. Blood dripped from her lip and nose. Red flinched, carefully climbing into the wagon and grabbing a strip of linen from her bag to dab at woman’s face. Crouching next to her, she grabbed her waterskin and poured it onto the cloth, wiping more at the wounds as she discovered there were more, not inflicted by her, stretching across the woman’s torso. Most seemed minor, like the shallow lines dragged across her ribs, though one seemed particularly deep on her left thigh. Feeling dampness on her knee, Red glanced down, noticing the woman’s right shoulder pressing against it. The flesh was torn though it already looked mended. Poorly mended.

 

Red’s heart bled as she realized this woman had likely tried to fix it herself. The leg wound was stitched much better and Red made sure to rummage through her bag for a salve to apply over the red, angry flesh. Red blinked slowly as she felt her hand brushed over something soft but not fluffy like the fur. _What the…_ Her face reddened immediately. Why _did she have to be naked? I guess blondes are softer-No Red!_ Her blush grew worse and she quickly went to look for pants. Her eyes narrowed. “Did I misplace them..?” The woman groaned and Red stiffened beside her. A beat passed. Nothing. Red let out her breath, her eyes catching a glimpse of her missing clothes bundled up to the left of the blonde. _Curious_. Red picked it up and shook off what look to be fur. It left even more questions but right now she needed to have this woman not be so naked.   



	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Note I updated two chapters pretty close; as a heads up.**

It took more time and effort than Red could have imagined but the pants were officially on the passed out woman, her hair re-braided, and her torso wrapped partly to cover her boobs, the other to trap the medicine Red spent time rubbing into the cuts along the woman’s wounds. Now it was time to undo and fix this shoulder stitch. Red, during the pants struggle, had finally noticed the leathers hanging along the wagons frame above. The dagger stuck into the floor of the wagon did not escape her attention either. It didn’t seem to be a thief’s attire- much too nice. Too professional. Red’s main concern was fixing up this woman, not to snoop. The woman’s pants were enticing…but those pants were too formfitting to be worth trying to put on the wounded blonde woman. _Wounded… but not helpless._ This woman was dangerous, Red had felt the subtle levels of muscle; lean, lithe, and deadly. _Well that’s a turn on._ Red took a deep breath. _Focus… focus._

She gathered the woman’s stuff, folding it up and setting it outside and under their wagon. There was no way she wouldn’t be waking up soon. Probably sooner the moment Red tried to stitch that mess on the woman’s shoulder. Bull was due to return very soon as it was.The only reason for his delay that Red could deduce was he probably was looking for a stall that sold hangover medicine. More oft than not it was a hoax but you wouldn’t really ever know unless you had a hangover and tried it. Paying half upfront and the other after drinking and it working, was the safest way to buy. Merchants tended to not be fond of method though given they risked half their profit running off. _Was no one honest?_ Wiggling the sleeping beauty into a sitting position as Red seated herself behind her. _How am I going to explain this to Bull?_

 

The thread looked almost black, soaked in dried blood, zigzagged in definitely a sloppy haste. _Whatever this woman does; she got worked over good._ Red sighed, tossing her legs carefully out at either side of the unconscious woman, tugging her hips closer, hoping to keep the woman still sitting upright. It didn’t work. Huffing, Red pulled her knees up and pressed them into the woman’s body, keeping her in place. “Well, this is the best this is gonna get. Sorry about this.” Gradually cutting and pulling out the stiff thread, Red discarded the useless scraps into a pile and used the linen she had earlier to gently dab at the irritated flesh. _Oh you really shouldn’t have stitched this with water in the wound; no wonder it didn’t start to close up. Well, that, and the shoddy rush job._ Using a small knife she had previously poured some of the alcohol Bull didn’t think she knew about onto, she gingerly spread the wound open, her eyes scanning. _There is something in there._ Poking her knife in, she picks out what seemed to be a tiny bit of a stick. Red frowned, her mind mulling over the answers to the mysterious stranger. _Clearly this was an animal attack but her clothes don’t match that of a hunter… Yet she was obviously in a wooded area- and it couldn’t have been these woods. Too many people and its protected by that farmer and his staff. Nothing this dangerous would’ve gotten this close and I doubt she… I mean… Traveling with these wounds she surly couldn’t have gotten too far from wherever it happened?_

 

A hiss snapped Red’s mind back to her task, her hands stilling as she watched the back of the blondes head. The birds outside and the light munching noises between the ox and Cirrus made the whole situation seem to surreal. As calm and pretty as it may be outside today, it was anything, but ordinary. Briefly Red wonders if she, not for the first time, misjudged her strength and had possibly struck this poor woman into a coma. _That. …That would not be good._ Setting the knife down, Red picked up the needle she had threaded and sterilized with the alcohol. Sucking in a breath she whispered, “This is going to sting but the worst is almost over.” It was more habit and comfort than any belief this woman was even aware. Hell, she may not even speak and understand her language. _By the way this morning was turning out, it wouldn’t surprise me in the least._

Stalling no more, Red began threading the wound closed, her knees squeezing to keep the woman in place as much as was possible while her hands worked. Though it was a less than pleasant part of mending such wounds for the recipient, with skilled hands, it was quick work. Luckily for this woman, all Fireflies were very adept in first aid. Dipping her face close to the shoulder, Reds lips brushed faintly over the pale skin, nipping thread clean through. Quickly adding another knot to the end, swiping the salve as gently as she could, Red smiled to herself. “ _Done_.” Red breathed twisting around, careful not to move the blonde, as she cleaned and wrapped the needle back into its little case. Popping it back into the med kit, Red turned her upper body back, eyeing her handiwork. She smiled to herself. _Nope. Not bad at all._ Her hand felt around the wagons wooden base, searching.  


Red’s brows furrowed as she turned her head, scanning, craning her neck to look at the other side of her and the woman between her legs. “Now where did I put it…?” Looking back up, Red barely had time to blink before the back of the blondes head smashed into her face. “Ow; _the_ _what_ \- the _fuck_?” Blood gushed from Red’s nose, her vision blurring with tears. The previously asleep woman whirled around, slamming Reds back into the floor of the wagon, the blondes arm pressed firmly against Reds throat. Ear ringing, vision blurred even more, Red hesitated. The warmth of the body above her, effectively making her oxygen supply harder to replenish, kicked in Red’s survival instincts. The muscles in Reds body tense as she readied to retaliate when her eyes finally focused, only to realize her missing knife was now held dangerously close to her face. _Ah, it that how it is? Sneaky devil._

 

Red glared up at the woman above her, unable to make out much from the curtain of loose chunks of hair and lack of decent light. _The woman certainly knew how to utilize shadows to her advantage._ Red’s mind went everywhere, trying to connect the dots, her brows drawing together, temporarily forgetting her perilous position.

 

“Why am I wearing clothes?”  
  
Red blinked rapidly, her brain almost flat lining. _Is…this what set this madwoman off?_ Red started to shrug, stilling instantly as the arm at her throat pressed down in warning. Red gritted her teeth. _I just spent Gods know how long helping fix this woman up, despite her rude break in, and now_ I’m _was the one getting shit?_ “Why were you _naked_?”  
  
The blonde completely ignored Red’s question. “Who are you?”  
  
“I go by Red. Now, who the hell are _you_?" Red had spit the last part out, staying mindful of her position, the knife much too close to chance bucking the blonde off. Again, Red found her questions ignored in lieu of another question.  
  
"Why are you here?" _Perhaps I_ have _hit this woman too hard?_ Red huffs through her nose, rage simmering just under her attempts to remain level headed. _Just who was this fucking woman?_  
  
"Excuse you; I should be the one asking the questions given this is _my_ wagon."  
   
"Where are my things?" _Oh yes, I’m definitely starting to get pissed._  
  
"Hidden in a place you'll never find so you best start answering my questions if you want it back." Red folds her arms, her wellbeing be damned. The petulant glare she bore into the woman above her was mirrored from what Red could make out. More pointless seconds ticked by as the two women held the others gaze in another standoff. Once again it seemed to be too no avail. The blonde woman seemed off in her own world, as if nothing at all had been said, looking into the teal eyes of the angry Firefly. “I said -” The words stuck in Reds throat as cool fingers cupped her cheeks. Freezing in utter confusion, Red finally took in the woman in her lap.

 

It wasn’t the first time it crossed her mind though it seemed to hit her a little more solid as Red acknowledge this woman was gorgeous. _Annoyingly so._ The no sense for personal space was bringing back Red’s aggravation, though her voice betrayed her as she said much quieter. "What. What are you doing..?"  
  
The woman’s eyes seemed to focus in on Red, blinking before a careful smile graced her lips. "They call me the Ice Queen."  


“Huh?” _She actually answered me, praise the Gods. However…_  Red fought her mind to stay on track even as the woman shifted in her lap, pressing closer. _Ice Queen. Really? Cause it's kinda getting hot in here._ Mentally shaking her head, Red decided to try and work with the topic as she was finally getting answers. “Ice Queen… So, you’re royalty, or do you just really like ice?” Despite the wince worthy utterance, Red never expected the blue eyes before her to narrow.

 

“Don’t call me that.” To empathize, the _Not_ -Ice-Queen pinched Red’s cheeks. It was so juvenile Red didn’t know at first how to react. _She’s toying with me. This Bitch._ Red tried to shake her off, growling again, causing a smirk to light up the Ice Queen’s features.

 

“What the hell do you mean ‘Don’t call me that’? You just told me that’s what people call you. What the fuck did you expect?” _Seriously._ “If you don’t like it, don’t fucking share it! What the hell am I suppose to refer to you as in my head if the one bit of information you give me is somehow fucking forbidden. I helped your ass, or did you forget this is still my goddamn wagon?”

 

“You talk a lot. Very rudely, might I add.”  
  
“And you don’t speak nearly enough. Hell, you don’t even make sense when you fucking do! And I’ll talk how I damn well please. What is your fucking name .”  
  
“To what purpose? My name will change nothing. Do you simply want a name to think of me by; do you plan to think of me often? You did look at and touch my body. Isn’t that enough?”  
  
Red spluttered, folding her arms firmly as the blonde woman braced for it Reds attempt to buck her off. _She’s fucking straddling_ me. Red stopped wiggling about, the stupid woman still remaining infuriatingly in the bounty hunters lap, hands wrapped around Red’s neck a little too gently now. “I-I fucking helped you!” _Get it_ together _Red._ “How dare you imply I was being perverse.” _Especially in this fucking setting. I thought I was dizzy earlier..._  
  
The Ice Queens face broke out into a smile, clapping her hands together. "Ah I see.. So there’s what it was. Hm; I expected better. I obviously gave you way more credit than was due.”

 

Red glared as the woman backed off her lap, turning to face out the Wagons opening. “What- I. _See!_ This is what I’m fucking talking about. And you’re going to insult me on top of it?” _Who fucking does that._ Arms loosening, Red curiously took in the swaying hips of the woman. _Gods, this woman has no bounds nor shame at all it_. The woman bent now halfway out of the wagon pulled herself back in, backing herself up until her ass was almost in Red’s face. Red’s eyes widened, a full blush erupting across her face. “If.. you don’t start explaining yourself… I’m going to report you to the guards. You owe me too for the damages! Don’t think trying to seduce me will-”  
  
“Oh my.. Seduce? Are you feeling _excited_ right now, little Firefly?”  
  
Red sobered at the end of the woman’s tease, the Ice Queen turning around, smiling down at Red. “I never said anything about-”

 

“Your armour is riddled with the symbols. Don’t look so surprised.”

 

“ _Stop_ interrupting me.” The blonde woman smirked again, Red gritting her teeth. _Bull… hurry the_ fuck _up._


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **If it's any consolation for the long pauses between my updates... I've managed to write out the direction I am going with this for quite a few chapters... so likely I'll have crap out sooner. Enjoy or whatever.**
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> **Oh! and warning for...blood I guess?**

Running her fingers over her wrapped gear, the blonde assassin slowly began organizing her things to the side that the two women didn’t occupy, seemingly ignoring her fuming companion. Though the bounty hunter didn’t know it, the Ice Queens mind was fixated on her, even with her eyes purposely fixed on inspecting her equipment. She pursued her lips, chancing a direct glance at the snippy redhead. _It’s not hard to tell why this woman before me is named Red.. It seems too easy, almost lazy, but I think it may just be a summary of everything this woman is. Her hair glows as fiery as her temper. Her freckled face often matches her armors hue, be it in her fit of passionate speaking -which seems to be her weapon of choice- or her surprisingly easily flattered (pathetically concealed) blushing. She_ was _red._ Arms flailing about as the rant went on, the Ice Queen paused in her actions long enough to gauge if Red’s boisterous behavior was threatening or just annoying.

 

Deciding it was just the latter, her eyes flicked away again, Red gritting her teeth as she seethed at being blatantly dismissed yet _again_. _I gave her the name I made for myself just as she did…but what really_ is _her name?_ Red was muttering something off, likely still ranting as, the woman grew lost in her thoughts, her gear fully spread out and assembled.

 

“-you’re not even listening to me, are you?” The Ice Queen sent a smirk her way, further ruffling the feathers of her claimed seat. _I think I rather enjoy rubbing this little fireball the wrong way; she’s all energy and spirit._ Her finger twitched and she squeezed her eyes shut. _Such…_ life… _in this little ball of rage._ Her pulse slowed down, her heart thumping rhythmically in her ears loud but slow. _But, like all things…_ The sound of blood, the _taste_ of blood, assaulted the assassins’ senses. … _hers must end._ The mantra of her family ran through her mind and she resisted a sigh. She knew the rules and always would. _No witnesses._ Her eyes opened as she took in the animated woman strangely still ranting away. … _A pity._

 

            The Ice Queen watched as the woman under her eyes flickered to the gear laid out next to them, her face showing what was likely, a poor attempt at connecting the dots to what has been happening. _I suppose it’s true what they say; all brawns and no brains._ As the assassin pulled out her dagger, inspecting it in the light that filtered through over her shoulders, Red narrowed her eyes.

 

“I don’t know what games you’re playing with me _sorceress_ nor what magic you use- in fact, it doesn’t even matter. What _does_ matter is that you damaged my property and are dodging my questions. If I didn’t know better, I’d say there is some very shady shit going on. You jumped into the _wrong_ wagon if you were looking for charity.” _And yet you dressed and mended me. If you hadn’t knocked me out cold I’d have thought you all bark- as it stands… I still may not be wrong._ “I bet there is a bounty on you, isn’t there? That can be the only reason for all the secrecy. As you’ve said; I’ve seen _every_ inch of you,” Both women went back to sending heated glares at each other, Red smirking this time. “Every mole. Every scar.” _This little…_

  
“You wanted my name, didn’t you?” The assassin asked, her face blank. Red faltered for a moment, unsure if she should trust this woman at all.

 

As much as it irked her to even admit it, curiosity finally won out, Red only nodding her head once. The assassin smiled, leaning right into Red’s personal space, their noses touching. Red’s breath hitched the moment the assassin’s lips brushed over hers, whispering, "It’s Elsa.” The cool steel of the blade was noticed too late as it pressed into Red’s chest. Teal eyes widened and before she could react, the assassin fainted atop her. Red’s mouth opened and closed uselessly, her eyes wide as she did her best to look up over the tangle of blonde hair nearly suffocating her.

 

“ _Kristoff_! Boy am I glad to see you.”

 

The man’s hands were wrapped firmly around a thick branch, his breathing heavy, eyes wide. “I can’t leave you alone for even a- gods I… Do I even _want_ to know?”

 

Red hissed in pain as she wiggled herself out from under, once again, unconscious woman. “It’s kinda a long story but I found her naked- oh.. ah.. it appears I’m actually bleeding quite a lot. Fuck.” Bulls eyes went wide as Red fell flat on her face, right over Elsa.

 

“ _Anna_!”

 

xXx  
  


_Gods…_ The gentle rocking and occasional bump was the first indication she was moving. _My-_ Gods... _my fucking head._

 

“…we are making better time than I expected…”

 

“…hurts like a bitch, we better be…”

 

“…I didn’t realize…”

 

“…blonde bitch…”  
  
“…you can’t know…”

 

“… _stabbed_ me…”

  
  
The assassin sat upright, frowning as she felt something restrain her movements. _Of course. What did you expect after failing to stab that woman?_ Slowly opening her eyes, she found herself surprised to see the back of the redheads head, sitting in the wagon near her feet. Her top half was left unarmoured, a simple white, baggy shirt tossed over her, parts of a bandage shown under the wide collar. _I suppose you wouldn’t be able to ride normally with a wound like that…_ Her blue eyes gazed back at the grumpy woman infront of her, her mind racing. _Why…_ She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to keep calm. _Why… am I alive._ The woman before her stilled, turning her head to look at the bound assassin.

 

“Oh! You’re awake.”

 

“Red…”

 

“Hush, Bull.”

 

“ _Red_.”

 

“I’m going to handle this; stay out of it.”  
  
           

Those teal eyes flickered back to meet the cautious blues of the Ice Queens. Careful of her wound, Red maneuvered herself awkwardly until she was almost mirroring the assassin. Wary yet, the Ice Queen tried to pull her knees up to her chest, arms bound behind her to one of the wagons supports. Red smiled, brushing some hair behind her ear, meeting her would-be killers gaze.

 

“I see the look on your face. Just noticing the black eye you gave me? You should see my chest.” The woman seemed to think for a moment before she started to blush a little. “Well, not like _that_ though I suppose it would be fair…” Blinking, the assassins’ eyes studied her captor, trying to understand the woman’s motives. A dazzling smile was tossed her way, the bounty hunter pulling herself closer. “What I meant to say was.. I wanted to give you something in return.” Furrowing her brows, the blondes head titled, choosing silence as her only weapon. Red’s smile only grew, causing the other woman to shiver in an unpleasant way. “A _matching set._ ” _What-?_

 

Before the thought could further progress, Red slammed her fist into the assassins face. Normally, a single hit wouldn’t have been so effective… yet this was one of many that day. That, adding to the recent fights, the bears, and the sheer strength the bounty hunter, which kept surprising her, the Ice Queen found herself unconscious once more.

 

xXx

 

            The sun was still in the sky when she woke, the smell of food, making her realize just how hungry she was. Her stomach instantly gave her away.

 

“Oh, you’re awake finally. You slept damn near a whole day.” Looking around, the assassin noticed she was in a partially wooded area, sitting on the ground near a small fire. Her eyes narrowed as she stared past the bounty hunters shoulder. _Am I seeing this right?_ Red blinked, following the woman’s gaze before smirking. “Sven? Strange horse, isn’t he?” _She is messing with me?_ Squinting harder, trying to shake the fuzz from her brain, her lips drew into a frown. _That isn’t a horse at all._

 

“Red, stop being a bitch to our prisoner.” The Ice Queen look up near her shoulder, eyeing the bulky man as he tore a chunk of bread off, tossing it into her lap. Her eyes followed it, her stomach still betraying her. Her arms were still bound. She casted a pleading gaze, her pride be damned, at Red. Red sniffed, turning her head as she took an extra large bite out of her own bread after dipping it into a bowl of soup. The assassin gritted her teeth. There was something still holding her back. _They likely drove a pole into the ground._ She felt with her fingers behind her. _Ah… I’m bound to a wheel. I bet I could break free of it…_ Bull noticed his companion’s attitude and sighed, not wanting to get into the middle, and wisely choose to tend to the animals, his eyes occasionally watching the two women.

 

Red continued to chewed her food with gusto, her little rage filled body refusing to turn to look at her assassin. Said assassin shifted her knees, sandwiching the bread between her them and drawing her knees up to her chest like earlier. Dipping her head down, she tugged on her restraints, pausing between her chewing as she used the loud crunching to muffle her attempts. Lucky for her, Red was trying her damndest to ignore her and Bull was too far away to notice small movements from her. _I don’t know what they have planned for me, but I sure as hell won’t be sticking around to find out._ A horse she had seen around before, trotted up to Red, pressing his black muzzle into her shoulder.

 

The wince did not go unnoticed by the assassin. She yanked harder at her restraints. Red lifted her head to the horse, petting his muzzle affectionately, her eyes soft for once.

 

“Just a little big guy… You know breads not that good for you.” The small smile she sported as she tore and dipped the bread into her soup before offering it in her palm made the assassin _really_ look at the woman. _So there_ is _something to her besides childlike rage._ The horse gave Red sloppy lip kisses on her cheek, causing her to giggle and nearly spill the bowl of soup in her lap as she pushed his face away, kissing the side of his face in return.

 

“You should be more careful, a horse can really injure you, even accidently!” Red looked up at Bull, a brush in his hand, rubbing down his beast. _That is definitely a reindeer._

 

“If it was any other horse, I would. But Cirrus is different. He did belong to a witch once after all.” _That’s interesting…_ The Ice Queen examined the horse as close as she could from her angle. _Abnormal green eyes… The touch of white on its ear and over its chest… That’s the mark of a witch alright._ _A powerful one. …How…interesting._ Cirrus gazed at Red for a long moment, shaking his mane, his eyes meeting the Ice Queen for the same length of time before he shoved his face into Reds shoulder. Red stumbled in her seat, catching her bowl as some sloshed into the fire, turning her gaze to regard the assassin. Both women looked back at the horse, Cirrus nudging Red again, huffing. The bounty hunter frowned as her eyes searched that of the horses. It stomped its foot. The assassin stiffened as Red turned to look at her curiously. The distinct lack of anger was a nice change though the Ice Queen wasn’t going to let her guard down again.

 

            Sighing, perhaps a big dramatically, Red stood and patted her horses neck. “You’re lucky I love you so much.” The horse snorted, moving off to eat some grass, his eyes still watching her. If she were being honest with herself, that horse really made her uneasy. _Anything touched by powerful magic is a thing to be wary of. Does this woman not realize the danger she could be in? I hope for all our sakes, this_ witch _is completely dead._ The assassin jumped, her butt crashing back to the spongy earth, Red far closer to her than she realized. The Bounty Hunter held her bowl and spoon, coming to crouch before her prisoner. She lifted the spoon towards the Ice Queen, surprise coloring her face as the woman flinched.

 

“…Alright. I deserve that.” _You’re damn right._ “In all fairness, I’m not the one in the wrong here. I was helping you.” She put the spoon near the woman’s mouth again, but the assassin turned her head away, her hands working once again to break the wheel spoke they were tied to. Red huffed, clearly annoyed. “Look.” Against her better judgment, the assassin did. She was startled at how many freckles greeted her. _I knew she had them but.. they really pop out in the sun. …It compliments her._ “I know you were awake when I started to sow up your wound.”

 

            _You don’t know that._ The look she gave must’ve conveyed just that for the bounty hunter just smirked, setting the bowl and spoon down. “I do know you were awake. Your breathing changed. If I hadn’t been so close to you, I would’ve never noticed.” She reached for the bread pinched between the assassins knees, plucking it, and dipping it into the soup, letting it soak. “You didn’t know who I was and very likely remembered only being knocked out upon our first meeting, so you had all the rights to fight me the moment you woke. And yet… you didn’t.” The Ice Queen’s eyes narrowed. Red ran a hand through her bangs, the majority of it tied into a high ponytail. “All I’m saying is… You let me help you then because you needed it.” Those eyes of hers bore into the assassins ice colored ones. “Let me help you again.” The soaked bread was pressed against the assassins lips. The smell of the spices and the meat in the soup caused her stomach to rumble. The light blush couldn’t hide her shame as she slowly opened her mouth, taking a bite.

 

            The two sat there, eyes studying the other as Red repeated dipping the hard bread into her soup, bringing it to the Ice Queens lips, the woman taking bites each time. “What do you plan to do with me?” Red hands faltered, the last few bites of bread going with it to the assassins dismay.

 

“What?”

  
  
The Ice Queen made a show of wiggling and jerking her body forward. “You heard me.”

 

Red bristled. “Taking you to whatever prison will pay us best for your ass.”

 

The assassin smirked. “I see.”

  
The bounty hunter seemed more annoyed, standing up, wincing, then glaring again. “Why, pray tell, is that so _amusing_ to you, Not Ice Queen?”

 

“You’ll have a hard time finding any prison willing to take me.”

 

“Oh, I doubt that. We know what you are and we _are_ in the business of finding the _appropriate_ homes for criminals as it is, Daughter of Hel.”

 

Bull had returned, his eyes falling between the woman who looked ready to fight yet _again_ and he sighed heavily, sitting down on the ground near the fire as he ate, feeling more and more like a babysitter than a bounty hunter.

 

“You _do_ know who I am. Bravo.”

 

“You’re lucky the worst you’ll be getting is locked away unlike your victims who were never given the choice!”

  
Gritting her teeth, the assassin did her best to keep her tone level. “So you think you’re better than me because you don’t kill your catch upfront? We are in the same _business_.”

 

Red threw her hand out, her face red as she snapped, “I’m nothing like you.”

 

“Oh really?” The Ice Queen frowned, annoyed at the loud redhead. “Be real _Firefly_. We both trade people’s lives for money.”

 

“I do _no_ such thing!”

 

Disappointment dripped off each word as the assassin said, “Surely you can’t be that foolish.” Her eyes hardened as she glared back at the angry redhead. “Do you honestly think the men and women you bring in only get a slap on the wrist? Do you think they live?” Red’s face faltered for a moment. “Most of them get tortured. _Death_ is a godsend. Whereas I simply end their lives as quickly and efficiently as I can, when able.”

 

“It’s out of my control what happens to the _bad_ people that _I_ bring in. What happens after isn’t on me. I pick and choose my jobs; you kill anyone you’re told to.” Red motioned between the sitting assassin and herself. “We _are_ different.”

 

Scoffing, the Ice Queen looked between Red and Bull, the man’s silence speaking enough for the both of them. “You really believe that.”

 

Red stomped her foot, her arms folding. “What is your _problem_ with me! Just because you _like_ killing doesn’t mean I do; that’s what this is about right?” At that point, Bull had stood up, quickly drinking the rest of his soup before placing on of his large hands on Red’s shoulder, shaking his head.

 

“I don’t feel comfortable traveling with someone who can’t even admit what they do for a living. I am an assassin, my job isn’t to feel, my job isn’t to think, my job is simply to kill. Your job is very much the same. You merely skip a step and magically think you can wash your hands of what you’ve done too? Face it. Neither of us is innocent. If anything, I am more honest than you, Firefly.”

 

Red started for the woman, Bull’s grip on her should tightening as he pulled her back. “Why don’t you shove that fucking attitude up your ass you Ice _Bitch_.”

 

“Name calling is the stupid mans weak defense.”

 

“You want a fight!?”

 

Bull placed his other hand on Red’s arm, picking her up and moving her further away as she kicked and spat out curses. “Red, please. Get a hold of yourself. It’s just words.”

 

Ice Queen smirked as Red tossed a seething glare her way. “Oooh they were right… Redheads are feisty.”

 

“That’s it, fucking fight me now.” Bull quickly snatched Red back once again.

 

“Oh, I would, most certainly I would. However, I won’t fight you simply because you are upset that I called you out. When you want a real fight to test our strength and not as some forced fake bravada of yours to convince yourself you’re some saint, let me know.”

 

“Go to HELL!”

 

“Silly Firefly, don’t you know the stories?” The assassin gave a small chuckle. “It’s not even autumn yet; it’s not my turn.”

 

“ENOUGH. Both of you. _Enough_.” Bull rubbed his face, turning to fix Red with a look as he felt her start to march for the assassin again when an arrow slammed into the dirt near his foot. Cirrus and Sven cried out as the sound of men yelling erupted within the tree line. They charged through the surrounding forest, startling the ox which caused the wagon to jerk, pulling at the Ice Queens arms painfully. Bandits poured out, three to the right, four to the left, and one lingering high in the tree, knocking back another arrow.

 

The assassin struggled harder, the spoke splintering, her arms yanking again to fully break it. Red had her weapons pulled, the fire to her back, Bull near her side as they did their best to fend off the sloppy fighting of the bandits. For what they lacked in skill their large number certainly made up for. Bull let out a loud hiss as an arrow pierced his shoulder, Red groaning as a blade nicked her forearm. Three bandits already lay on the ground though the wounds Red had suffered from the assassin made her sword and footwork amateurish at best. Bull’s hand was bleeding as he stopped a mace from being smashed into his head by grabbing it, yanking the weapon and person to him, and smashing his forehead into the smaller man’s body. Down he went, leaving the large man with two attackers, just like the redhead. Another arrow whistled through the air, piercing the large man’s hand.

 

A good shot yet unlucky. Bull dropped his weapon, yelling as he ducked and kicked out at one man, a woman thrusting her blade as he did, forcing him to jump back, falling onto his ass and crashing into Red. The heavy bump forced Red forward, her blade luckily sliding through one of the men, leaving her with only one to face off with as Bull scrabbled around for his knife in his boot. The Ice Queen had managed to grab an arrow from the ground amidst the chaos and had begun working her bonds against the arrowhead. It proved quite the task, the ropes around her hands well chosen. _Of course; they’re bounty hunters. They wouldn’t use cheap binds. Just my luck._  Her eyes shot back up at the cry, seeing Bull grappling on the ground with the man, the woman having moved to tear Red’s attention between her and the man she faced.

 

 For her part, Red was holding her own though she was growing weary, barely dodging the sword as it was whipped past her face. Her cheek sliced open, blood pouring down. During her dodge, the woman on her other side took a step forward, swiping her dagger at Red’s face as well, ripping a gash above Red’s brow. Blood dripped into Red’s vision, a lucky, blind hit knocking the man back as she twisted and turned. Bull had smashed his opponents head against a rock, rolling over and yanking the woman by her ankles onto her face before she could stab Red again. The woman flipped, her feet kicking at Bulls face, dagger swiping at his fingers. He hissed again, his fingers bleeding, but only kept pulling the woman closer before grabbing her weapon hand and fighting it towards her heart as another arrow tore into another spot in his shoulder. His grip loosened enough as he was forced to fight through the pain as well as one handed with the surprisingly strong woman. Red cried out as the man slammed into her chest with his shoulder. The Ice Queens eyes went wide as she saw the sharpshooter in the trees aiming for Red, the man with the sword taking advantage of Red’s vision problems, herding her into the marksman’s line of fire.

 

The assassin felt panic well inside of her. She had no idea what was coming over her as she shot to her feet, her binds be damned, and started running for the redhead.

 

“ _Anna!_ ” Red turned a surprised look in the direction of the voice. “ _Arrow_.” Red’s head whipped to the other side, her good eye catching the marksman in the tree fast enough for her to drop to the ground as the arrow barely missed. The man with the sword thrust down, Red failing to bring her weapons up in time, the fall reopening the deep wound, making her dizzier than she anticipated. The Ice Queen slammed her body into the man before his blade could touch the prone bounty hunter. Whipping her head towards Red she shouted, “Knife!” and opened her mouth. Without questioning it, Red tossed the blade to the assassin who, shocking all who saw, caught the blade’s hilt in her mouth, much like a dog. Her knees pressed hard into the man’s gut as she clenched her teeth around the blade, turning her head and slamming it down into his throat, face and all. Her eyes were screwed shut as blood splattered across her face, her mouth releasing the blade as she worked her jaw grimacing.

 

Bull snapped the neck of the woman under him, the dagger having been thrown in their scuffle. Seeing Red on her back forced him into a panic as he scrambled to their packs, grabbing the small bow they had and shouting to Red as he tossed it with his good arm, unable to draw it. Red felt it hit her head and reached up for it.

 

The marksman fired an arrow at Red, the woman rolling into the dying fire, hissing as she flinched from the embers digging harshly into her exposed skin. Bow thankfully kept out of the way, she rolled out just enough, pulling the arrow from the ground, looking up from the flat of her back as she knocked the arrow. The marksman had an arrow already ready.

 

“ _Hey!_ ” The man hesitate at the shout from the assassin, Red wasting no time as she brushed away the blood from her eyes, pulling back the arrow and letting it fly. The man let out a choked scream as he fell from the trees. He landed hard. And yet, despite the arrow petruding from his gut, he picked himself up and ran at Red. The assassin rose to her feet, running and sliding, her foot catching the man and tripping him. He screamed as the arrow was forced further into her body. He struggled onto his knees before the blonde woman straddled the back of his neck. He tried to claw at her legs as her thighs tightened, legs locked before him as she fell onto her back. He jerked back with her, her hips giving a sharp twist, snapping the man’s neck before he even fully fell back onto her.  

 

“Holy _shit_.” The assassin looked up and smirked at the two Fireflies who stared at her. Bull was behind Red, holding his injured half, Red having managed to get into a seated position.

 

Bull swallowed. “Maybe… I should’ve tied her legs up too…”

 

“….You think?” Red whispered, her good eye never leaving the assassin.

 

The Ice Queen kept her face the same as she raised a brow, the blood making her teeth and eyes pop out brighter. “ _Assassin_.”

 

Red grimaced as she tried to crawl before giving up and motioning. “Grab a dagger and come closer; I’ll cut you free.”

 

Bulls eyes went wide again. “ _What_? No! Did you not just see what she could do _bound_? Cuz I fucking did.”

 

Red let out a weak, soft smile. “I could speak the obvious Bull… but here we are…here _she_ is.” Red nodded her head, the assassin cautiously walking her way over, a blade gripped behind her in her tied hands. “For your freedom, I ask you help us.”

 

“…What makes you think I won’t just run?”

 

“You would have by now if that had been your plan.”

 

The assassins face remained impassive. “I could still do it.”

 

Red scoffed. “We will dedicate our lives to hunting you down should you try it.”

 

“If you live.”

 

Shrugging, Red gave a weak smile, brushing the blood out of her eyes again. “I’ve had worse.”

 

“I suppose you don’t look any different than you normally do.”

 

“I’m going to ignore that.”

 

A smug smile crossed the assassin’s features. “Rare.”

 

Red gritted her teeth. “Look here Ice Queen-”

 

“Elsa.”

 

“..What?” Red looked up at the woman’s back as she grabbed the dagger.

 

“Elsa. Not… Ice Queen.” The woman just kept staring at the back of the assassin named Elsa. Her blonde braid swayed as she looked over her shoulder, eyeing Red and Bull. “Cut me loose already. You’re both a fucking bloody mess and it’s hard to look at you let alone hold a conversation seriously.” Red remained mute, cutting the bonds and looking at Elsa with curiosity.

 

Bull broke the spell as he yelled, having crudely shoved one of the arrows in his shoulder through, breaking the fletching and yanking out the head as it popped through his flesh. Ice blue and teal eyes met once again, lingering before Elsa looked away.

 

“Put some pressure to the wound on your forehead for now, I should tend to Bull.” Elsa stopped, looking down in surprise as Red gripped her pants leg tighter.

 

“You called me by my name. How did you… _When_ did you…” Red’s words faltered, her eyes questioning, even with the pain coursing her body.

 

The assassin grimaced. “Perhaps, if we meet again, I will tell you. Consider my name gift enough.” Red’s hand slowly let go and Elsa quickly went to their packs, recognizing the symbol on their med kit among the Fireflies things. Coming back to the two, she set the kit near Red, letting the woman tend to her own wounds as best she could as Elsa ripped Bull’s shirt open and set to work.


End file.
